Invention: 2nd Edition

This page is about the 2nd Edition of Invention.

In any battle to conquer the world, the force with the better technology will have an advantage. In this map each of the four contenders for world dominance has a 'tech tree' which represents technological developments they can invent.

New to Invention? See the quick start guide at the bottom!

This description assumes you are familiar with wargear terms like 'artillery border', 'view border', 'fortify border', 'factory' and 'capital'. If you do not know what those mean, check out the FAQ: http://www.wargear.net/help/display/FAQ

A game in progress. We see things from China's, the Green player's, perspective. Green was recently invaded by Blue, but has the first three green (life) techs, so is not out yet.

Rules

There are four 'civilizations' that are assigned to players randomly.

Britain

USA

South Africa

China

Each player starts with a capital city (marked with a star). If you lose your capital you will be eliminated (unless you've taken possession of another capital already).

Capitals, Home Lands, Nations, Super Continents

Players always start with their capital city (London, DC, Capetown, Beijing), and their 'homeland'. The 'homeland' is the territory that borders the capital. Each civilization also has a 'nation' which is the wargear continent that the capital is attached and share the same name as the civlization (i.e. Britain, USA, South Africa, China). There are six super-continents on the world, corresponding to the continents in traditional Risk: North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania. South America & Oceania are independent from the other civilizations.

Civilization

Capital

Nation

Super-Continent

Britain

London

Britain

Europe

USA

DC

USA

North America

South Africa

Capetown

South Africa

Africa

China

Beijing

China

Asia

–

–

–

South America

–

–

–

Oceania

Continents on the World Map

Continents on the world map work like regular Risk (i.e. control all the members at the beginning of your turn, get units to place).

Continent Values

The value of a continent is the number of territories in the continent divided by two, rounded up.

Control the entire super-continent to earn additional units equal to the # of continents in the super-continent.

Each capital is worth +2.

Research and Technology

You can research new technologies on the tech tree. These technologies will make it easier for you to crush your opponents.

Tech Points

Tech points are deposited in your flask automatically at the beginning of your turn. If you control more than one capital, you will get tech points in the flask for each capital you control. You can earn tech points in 3 ways:

1) Based upon the size of your empire.

2 tech point for your capital city.

2 tech points for any other capital cities.

3 tech points for your nation.

4 tech points for your super continent.

2) Controlling 'laboratories' (territories with flasks on them)

1st lab is worth 1 tech point

2nd lab is worth 2 additional tech points (total 3)

3rd lab is worth 3 additional tech points (total 6)

etc. (table below)

3) From specific science (blue) techs

Computers is worth 3 tech points

Internet is worth 5 tech points

Technologies

Technologies (techs) are represented by territories in your tech tree. Attack from your flask to “research” technology and gain their benefits. Optional Technologies (can be skipped when researching) are marked below with italics and with a circle on the board.

Tech Tree

Their are three separate branches to the tech tree:

GREEN - “Life Technologies” place units on the world map for you automatically.

Attack from Flight to take your Plane which has fortify borders to every territory in your Super-Continent. Advanced Flight works similarly, but you attack your Jet and it allows fortifies all over the world.

War (RED)

You attack directly from the war techs using your tech points.

Tech

Benefit

Artillery

+1 artillery attack to Nation

Missile

+1 artillery attack to Super-Continent

ICBM

+1 artillery attack to all territories on map (not capitals)

Nuclear ICBM

+2 artillery attack to all territories on map. (not capitals)

Espionage

+0 attack enemy tech (red techs are attacked at -1)

Assassination

+0 attack capitals

Laboratory Bonus Table

Owning laboratories (territories with a flask in them), gives you tech points. Laboratories have a synergistic affect, so the bonus increases more than linearly as you get more laboratories.

Labs

Tech

1

1

2

3

3

6

4

10

5

15

6

21

7

28

8

36

9

45

10

55

Controlling Opponents Technologies

When you use Espionage to take an enemy technology, you can reap some of it's benefits for yourself, but they don't always work the same. This section explains the differences. You can also get into this situation when a capital is captured, but an elimination doesn't occur (i.e. when the original owner of the capital had two capitals).

Green Technologies - Take an enemy green tech, and it works for you. You still need to have territory that the factory bonus would get applied to. For example, take the final green tech from China and any territories you own in Asia will get +2 at the beginning of your turn.

Radar & Satellite - These work just the same. Take them to expand your vision.

Computers & Internet - These do nothing for you, unless you also take the enemy capital, because they only put bonuses into the flask associated with that civilization. You are just denying the bonus to your enemy by taking them.

Flight & Advanced Flight - You can attack from these to the enemy plane/jet. Then once you control those, you can use them to fortify your troops. As the borders between the tech and the planes are attack only on the second edition of Invention, using espionage to take an enemies flight or advanced flight is the only way to get your tech points onto the board as usable troops on the second edition board.

Red Technologies - If you have units in an enemy red tech, you can use them to attack just as if they were your own.

Other Rules

6 fortifies to any bordering

Capitals have a unit max of 35. They defend at +2 unless attack is from Assasination

The land territory that borders your capital, is your 'Home Land'. The Home Land defends at +1 from all attacks.

At the top of the map, under the title are 'possession indicators', which show who controls each civilization. When a player is eliminated, possession indicators may change to the color of the eliminator immediately, but they may also go neutral immediately and change to the color of the player with possession of the territory at the beginning of the next turn.

You may hold up to 50 units in reserve.

Hold unlimited cards. Trade in values: 5,5,5,5,6,6,6,6,7,7,7,7,..

Receive 30 units to place and 60% of their remaining troops when you eliminate an opponent.

Because of a 50 unit reserve & unlimited cards, you will not usually go back to the placement phase after elimination. However, you can force yourself back to elimination if you have kept 21 units in reserve.

Each civilization has different advantages

Civilization

Advantage

UK

Start with 2 extra units in flask.

USA

War technologies start with 2 less neutral each

Africa

5 extra units in home land

Asia

Life technologies start with 2 less neutral each

Advanced Tips

You cannot eliminate someone with just Assasination becaues it is an artillery border, you still need some ground forces to actually occupy the capital

If an opponent has Satellite they can see everything except your laboratories, capital & your plane/jet. You can hide units there (or in your reserve) so they don't see them.

Plane/Jet start empty, so you just need to attack with 1 to take them.

Using Espionage to take an enemy plane/jet? You can't just take the tech, you must then attack from the tech to the aircraft. If you want to protect your plane/jet from enemy Espionage, leave several units in the aircraft, and it will be much harder to take.

If you have a lot of green bonuses, your capital may fill up and waste your bonus. If you have all green techs, you get +9/turn on your capital, but it can only hold 35 units, so move some out if you have a spare fortify.

If someone is destroying your world units with their war techs, consolidate your units in laboratories where they get a bonus to defend against war techs.

If you plan on attacking with more than 30 ICBM, it is worth using those 30 to first take Nuclear ICBM. You only need 26 if you are USA to reach the break even point.

Green techs do not require possession of the capital to earn their bonus. If you take an enemy's green tech with your espionage, you can use it to earn bonuses in enemy territory.

Because you get a 20 unit elimination bonus, but can hold up to 50 reserves. You'll need to have 31 units already in reserve before an elimination if you want to force yourself back to the placement phase.

The plane & jet provide a one-time route to convert tech points to world units. The first time you capture them, you will be able to move as many units as you want on to them. Usually tech points are more beneficial the world units, but in some occasions in might be worth the conversion.

Satellites won't let you see unit counts in Capitals directly, but sometimes you may guess that a stack of units that appears from “nowhere” was fortified in from the Capital via a Jet, and so it may be a good time to strike for an elimination.

Although Satellites cannot see Laboratory unit counts, a single attack by any red tech will reveal the number.

Dice Odds

Attack Sides

Defense Sides

Board Location

Expected attacker losses per defender

6

6

Normal attacks & Assasination

.85

7

6

Artillery, Missile & ICBM attacks

.48

7

7

Artillery, Missile & ICBM attacks against Labs or Home Lands

.8

8

6

Nuclear ICBM attacks

.32

8

7

Nuclear ICBM attacks against Labs or Home Lands

.49

6

7

Land attack against Home Lands

1.24

6

8

Land attack against Capitals

1.62

QUICK START GUIDE

Standard Scenario

Review vocabulary section (just below). On your first turn, place your units in your Homeland, use your tech points in your big Flask to take Artillery (1st red tech) & clear out your Nation, then use your units in your homeland to take and secure your Nation. If you start with 3+ territories next to a Lab, try to take it on your first/second turn. Go for Australia or South America if you start with a strong presence there.

Focus on expanding near your capital first. Hold your nation and get laboratories in your super continent. Try to get the first 2-3 green techs and Computers (3rd Blue Tech) first, then work on more advanced techs.

Barbarians Scenario

Work on territories in the main world as if it was a typical big world map. Once you have a few continents secured, try to take a capital. Once you have a capital focus on getting laboratories and the first 2-3 green techs. Then try to get computers, and then go for ICBM, and other advanced techs.

Vocabulary

Civilization - Each player represents a civilization and has its own capital, home land, nation, super-continent, big flask, tech tree, jet, plane, etc.

Capital - The territory in the shape of a star. If you lose it your game is over. Gets good defensive bonuses.

Home Land - The territory that borders your capital. Gets a small bonus to defense.

Laboratory - A territory with a flask in it. Earns tech points for you. The number of tech points earned scales more than linearly with number of laboratories owned.

Tech Points - Units that are put in your flask for you each turn. Use them to research technologies.

Technologies - Territories that give you new capabilities. Divided into Red, Green, and Blue, they are 'researched' by attacking them with tech points.

World Units - As opposed to Tech Points, the units on the main world map.

Changes from 1st Edition

(possibly incomplete, please add)

6 techs in each branch instead of 5. (please see sections above for details)

Changes to neutrals in techs

Laboratories are fogged from radar/satellite

Hold as many cards as you want. Card values increase slowly.

10 unit elimination bonus

Nation/Supercontinent worth more tech points

50 unit reserve

Border to jet/plane is now attack-only (i.e. you can only transfer units to the plane/jet from tech tree when you capture it, not on subsequent turns)